A sea anchor is a large, usually canvas-covered conical frame let out from a ship as a drag or float to reduce drifting or to keep the ship heading into the wind. The anchor creates a drag on the boat from water moving through the anchor. The drag keeps the boat facing into the wind. It also affects the rate of drift of a boat, either increasing or decreasing the rate depending on the water and wind currents. Sea anchors are also used for trolling or simply to control a boat's speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,900 to Rutten et al. discloses a sea anchor. Specifically, it shows a cylindrical body of cloth with large and small circular openings at respective ends of the body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,051 to Raymond et al. shows another sea anchor. That anchor has a paraboloid shape with one open end and one closed end. It is constructed from a webbing. U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,042 to Manhart and U.S. Pat. No. 717,890 to Miller both show other types of sea anchors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,330 to Shewmon discloses a reinforced seam and sewing method which can be used in constructing a sea anchor.
Present sea anchors, however, tend to spin or rise to the surface of the water. Additionally, many of the collapsible sea anchors have difficultly maintaining their shape in the water. Finally, many sea anchors are heavy, cumbersome and difficult to manipulate and store. This invention addresses those shortcomings.